Translation of mRNA from calf thymus in the wheat germ system: evidence for a precursor of thymosin alpha1.

When translated in the wheat germ system, mRNA from fresh calf thymus stimulates incorporation of radioactive amino acids into an acid-insoluble product, and 10--20% of the total radioactivity incorporated is precipitated with antisera to active thymosin fractions. In sodium dodecyl sulfate disc gel electrophoresis, radioactivity was recovered mainly in two peptides, corresponding to 16,000 and 11,000 daltons; the latter probably represents incomplete chains. Tryptic digests of each of these peptides yielded fragments corresponding to the sequence of residues 15--19 of thymosin alpha1; these peptides were characterized by cochromatography with digests of synthetic thymosin alpha1 and by Edman degradation. Thus, the 16,000-dalton peptide synthesized in the cell-free system appears to be q precursor of thymosin alpha1 and possibly of other peptides in the fractions isolated from calf thymus. The results support the conclusion that this peptide is synthesized in the thymus gland.